Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Why A Messy Desk Isn't So Bad

By Franklin Skribbit


Nathan was a great student. But most people that peeked into his bedroom would have guessed otherwise. His desk was a mess. It looked like a hurricane had blown through. I say a hurricane (not your traditional tornado) because his swim goggles and an empty fish bowl (recently vacated since the passing of Nathan's trusty beta fish Maxamillian) were mixed in the mess. There were papers and pencils scattered about. He had about four books open with multiple makeshift bookmarks inserted here and there. But without fail, at the end of each semester - straight A's. How was this possible? Let's find out.

Most "how to succeed in college" blogs and articles talk about keeping your room (especially your desk) clean and organized. Cleaned spaces help keep you organized and on task. This is true. Clean desks equal order, responsibility, and focus. Experiments have shown that students asked to work at clean desks make more socially praised decisions. They are more focused, chose healthier snacks, and offered more to charities. However, there was one interesting hitch in the oh-greatness of clean desk power. It stifled creativity.

Through his compassion that spurred him to make a meaningful difference and his genius that allowed him to do so, Yunus helped people from all over the world to become profitable entrepreneurs, providing for themselves while learning how to successfully run a business.

Yunus was born in 1940 to a Muslim family in what is now the country of Bangladesh. His father was a jeweler, which led his family to living in the city of Chittagong. Yunus had an active childhood, excelling in school while also taking part in the Boy Scout program. While at the Chittagong College, he even tried his hand at some cultural activities, winning awards for drama.

Not proven in controlled experiments, but experienced by many, is the principle of organized chaos. Have you ever cleaned out your desk, your room, your closet, or even your computer files and suddenly found yourself unable to find anything at all? Sure! This happens to almost everyone! What, to one looks like chaos, is complete order to another.

Breckinridge studied at St. Luke's Hospital in New York and became a registered nurse in 1910. Breckinridge is credited with introducing midwifery to America and she also founded the Frontier Nursing Service. She is also recognized for being the first to fund family car centers.

Of course, this is not to knock order. Order is great too. It has its advantages. Focus, order, and control are good for many lines of work. Some personalities require order Justas others prefer a unique type of chaos. A study suggested that a combination of both could prove very helpful for many people.

They suggested that one start a project with a chaotic, messy desk (which allows for innovation, creativity, and unique thought) then slowly clean off the desk as the project begins to wrap up, which will encourage consolidating and finalizing a unified and complete project. This happens naturally for many people anyway. Who knew that there was science behind it?

Yunus' attention to the poor has helped millions of people create their own livelihood. He redefined what it meant to fight poverty and was awarded a Noble Peace Prize in 2006 for his efforts.




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